CROSS & Culture was never built to keep pace with trending conversations. It was born from a conviction—that the intersection of faith, leadership, and culture isn’t theoretical. It touches actual people. It shapes real outcomes. That conviction has only grown stronger, especially when it comes to the questions we’re not supposed to ask about economics, trade, and the policies quietly weakening the American household.
I’ve spent over a decade inside the machinery of supply chain compliance. I’ve sat across from owners watching contracts vanish—not because they failed, but because the pricing was rigged overseas. I’ve reviewed shipment flows that should’ve strengthened domestic industry but instead exposed just how skewed the terms of global trade have become. And beneath it all? An overvalued dollar. Not accidental. Sustained. And largely unchallenged.
So when I speak about the need for strategic tariffs, it’s not out of partisanship. It’s not even primarily economic. It’s moral. Because what we’re allowing—through silence—is a distortion. Of value, of fairness, of truth.
The data are clear. According to the IMF and The Economist (2024), the U.S. dollar is hovering between 10% and 20% above its long-term equilibrium. The REER—Real Effective Exchange Rate—shows a roughly 12% overvaluation when adjusted against a basket of currencies. That’s more than just imbalance. It’s a structural misrepresentation that suppresses American exports and invites cheap foreign goods into our markets under false terms.
We can’t keep pretending this is sustainable.
Tariffs, when applied with care, don’t stifle competition. They restore coherence. They acknowledge the gap between stated policy and lived consequences. They say to the global market: we know what this is, and we’re not pretending anymore.
But we can’t stop at currency. Many of our trading partners operate with hidden protections that rarely surface in press briefings. Canada, for example, limits access to its dairy and poultry markets through TRQs and ABQs—mechanisms that look open in theory but are locked tight in practice. Israel does the same with agricultural imports. The pattern repeats across the board.
Hidden Trade Barriers Imposed by Top Ten U.S. Trading Partners via TRQs and ABQs
| Country | Product Categories with Significant TRQs/ABQs | Quota Type | Within-Quota Tariff | Out-of-Quota Tariff/Barrier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Dairy products, poultry, eggs, cheese | TRQ, ABQ | 0–7% | Up to 245% |
| Mexico | Sugar, corn, dairy | TRQ | 0–15% | 50–150% |
| European Union | Beef, poultry, dairy, grains | TRQ | 0–12% | 30–80% |
| Japan | Rice, dairy products, beef | TRQ | 0–15% | Over 200% |
| China | Wheat, corn, rice, sugar | TRQ, ABQ | 1–10% | 65–90% |
| Israel | Dairy, peanuts, grains | TRQ | 0–8% | 50–100% |
| South Korea | Rice, meat products, dairy | TRQ | 0–5% | Up to 513% |
| Brazil | Ethanol, wheat, dairy | TRQ | 0–12% | 20–35% |
| India | Poultry products, dairy, legumes | TRQ, ABQ | 0–10% | 40–100% |
| Australia | Dairy products, beef, sugar | TRQ | 0–5% | 20–40% |
Note: Data sourced from U.S. Trade Representative National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (USTR, 2024).
None of these countries call it protectionism. And yet that’s precisely what it is. Controlled access. Domestic shielding. Quiet advantage.
And what do we offer in return? Full exposure. No barriers. No leverage. The result is not partnership—it’s imbalance. We’re walking into trade negotiations unarmed, expecting fairness where none has been promised.
A correction is overdue. Strategic tariffs would send a clear message: reciprocity matters. And if pursued carefully—focusing on sectors where foreign quota systems do the most damage—they could also prompt much-needed revaluation of the dollar itself. That’s no small thing. An adjusted dollar would better reflect actual production and restore strength where it’s been quietly drained.
Will it shake markets? Possibly. A 25% stock dip might spook headlines. But if the deeper cause is an honest correction in currency inflation, the underlying contraction could be closer to 5%. That’s tolerable. Especially when the long-term effect is a stronger, more transparent economy.
We’ve seen this before. In 1985, the Plaza Accord pulled together the G-5 to confront dollar overvaluation. It worked. Trade balances improved. Competitiveness was restored. And yes, the markets wobbled—but they recovered.
We don’t need another Plaza Accord. We just need clarity. And a willingness to act without waiting for international permission.
Still, this isn’t license for recklessness. Tariffs must be deliberate. Surgical. Aimed at the specific industries where quota systems—like TRQs and ABQs—are quietly doing the most harm. They must also function as diplomatic tools, giving U.S. negotiators the leverage to push back against opaque barriers.
And contrary to some popular claims, tariffs do not simply translate into higher costs for consumers. As I’ve explained elsewhere (Croom, 2025), the impact is dispersed. Some of it is absorbed by suppliers. Some is offset by contract renegotiation. In many cases, it forces creative problem-solving that actually strengthens the supply chain. The result? Resilience. Not dependence.
This isn’t about turning inward. It’s about standing upright. Scripture speaks clearly: “Differing weights and differing measures, both of them are an abomination to Yahweh” (Proverbs 20:10, LSB). False balances aren’t simply inaccurate—they’re unjust. When our trade system operates on inflated currency and hidden quotas, it’s not just inefficient. It’s immoral.
We owe the American people more than economic theories. We owe them honesty. If we refuse to correct the dollar’s overvaluation—and fail to confront the barriers stacked against our producers—then we are not telling the truth. And we are not leading.
References
Bergsten, C. F., & Green, R. A. (2016). International Monetary Cooperation: Lessons from the Plaza Accord After Thirty Years. Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Croom, Christopher. (2025, March 14). Understanding how international trade and tariffs work. Cross & Culture, LLC. https://crossandculture.org/2025/03/14/understanding-how-international-trade-and-tariffs-work/
International Monetary Fund. (2024). Real effective exchange rate database. Retrieved from https://data.imf.org
The Economist. (2024). The Big Mac Index. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index
U.S. Trade Representative. (2024). National trade estimate report on foreign trade barriers. Retrieved from https://ustr.gov